Loire Valley in March - wine, chateaux, no car?

The chateaux part w/o a car would not be too difficult. However, the wine part might be. There are plenty of wineries in every direction from Amboise, but we've always had a car, so I don't know what bus transportation to wineries would be like. Vouvray and Montlouis are not far, and there are many wineries in that area, but I don't know what transportation is like.

I couldn´t imagine staying 3 days in Amboise during the winter. This has become a big tourist town, the population of which swells in the summer tourist season but is very quiet during winter. I don´t think that the mini bus tours operate in March, you could check with the Office de Tourisme:

There are a number of wineries surrounding Amboise but these are small family operations and visiting them will be much easier if you are rather fluent in French.

Biking is very popular in the Loire Valley but March is cold and rainy. Be sure to have appropriate clothing.

Without a car, I would stay in Tours, and specifically Vieux Tours or Old Tours and the areas surrounding Place Plumereau. Other areas of Tours will not be of interest to tourists. It´s an easy walk from the train station and the Office de Tourisme is across the street from the train station. Tours will have restaurants, cafés, shopping, museums, and the best selection of possible mini mus tours to local châteaux and vineyards. The Office de Tourisme should have a complete list of possible tours.

Can it be done without a car? Yes. Can it be done efficiently without a car? Don't think so.

Plenty of places in the world can be reached by public transportation, bikes, walking, tours, etc. But if you have limited time (like most of us do in Europe) that can become a real challenge. If you want to do it car-free, I would suggest you either double the length of your trip, or cut your plans in half (these are just gross, wild estimates, not accurate, but just to give you a starting point to weigh your options). Public transport is wonderful, and works great when you want to go point-to-point where lots of others want to go, if you don't mind some waiting and being pinned to a fixed schedule. But if you want to wander, set your own schedule, and be free to go wherever a whim may take you, you're going to run up against limitations - that's true anywhere. There's a reason cars are popular.

If it were me, I'd rent a car once you get there, be sure both drivers are on the rental agreement and insurance policy (and both have the IDP) and switch off the drinking days. You can both imbibe once you're done driving for the day.

Blois, Chaumont ( train stop in Onzain across the river ), Azay ( train stop a mile or so outside town) could all be done by train. Cycling is easy. If not using bike paths, try to stick to the white roads on a Michelin 1:200,000 map

I know it’s not the same, but Amboise has its own wine cave in the chateau wall (with an even better wine shop across the street.) You can get a good tasting and education on the Loire vintages this way, while stopping in a local winery or two for the full atmosphere. I would definitely recommend biting the bullet and renting a car for this area. Driving is pretty easy around there, and you’ll be able to see much more than by public transport. Amboise was a great base, easy to get to from Tours and access to the autoroute which gets you to Villandry.

I agree with Tocard. Tours would be a better base, though you should definitely visit Amboise.

Our grandson is attending the University of Tours and loves the city. Maybe you could find a wine tour and hit a couple of wineries as a day trip. Then do your tasting during dinner, which is the best way to experience wine anyway. The servers can recommend a good local wine to go with your meal.

Remember 3 nights is only two full days. I don't know when you land in Paris.. We landed at 1:00 and arrived in Loches at almost 7:00. I don't know where you'll go after Loire, but it will take the better part of the day to get back to Paris.